Laura Howard, wife of U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard, watched the US vs Ghana game with other members of the Howard family at the Flying Saucer in Cordova, Tennesee

Despite the 1-0 deficit, she said at halftime that she was encouraged by the support she has received from the community.

â€œItâ€™s been great,â€ she said. â€œI have gotten calls from lots of friends that I havenâ€™t heard from in a long time and we have a lot of family in the area. Itâ€™s been really amazing. I even heard Graceland was lit up in red, white, and blue.â€

The Howard family lives in Memphis during the summer. And given the rising popularity of the U.S. team, their off seasons of living in relative obscurity might be coming to an end.

â€œNot anymore!,â€ Laura Howard said. â€œIâ€™m originally from here so thatâ€™s a big reason we chose to live here, but (Tim) loves to put on flip-flops and go to the gas station. But I donâ€™t think heâ€™s going to be able to do that anymore.â€

For the U.S. team, Saturdayâ€™s game was the culmination of a wild week. The US lost, but it was a magnificent effort.